Awning hanger



L. E. JEFFERSON AWNING HAN GER March 23, 1943.

Filed May 29,

. e n t 0/6/ 2 zi fezu'a/ c Patented Mar. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to awning connectors for coupling the supporting frame to the operating ropes for raising and lowering the awning in a manner to facilitate the connection and disconnection of the ropes from the frame without the usual difiioulty in making such connection, and avoiding the liability of mutilating the awn- The improvement is designed more particularly for awnings of the type employing a frame including a cross bar ordinarily passing through a continuous loop formation in the awning structure and side bars extending from the cross bar which are pivotally mounted on a structure.

The awning :proper is connected at the upper end in the usual manner, and ropes are passed through eyelets or other wear-avoiding means on the awning and are to be connected to the cross bar to facilitate the raising and lowering of the awning, the opposite ends of the ropes passing through appropriately arranged pulleys and depending at a convenient place so that all ropes may be operated by the user.

The lower terminal of the ropes are ordinarily passed through slits in the inner wall of the loop formation, passed around the cross bar, outwardly through another similar slit and tied, which connection is initially diflicu-lt to apply, has a tendency to tear or rip the awning and is laborious to disconnect when so desired to dismantle or to reapply a new rope.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of a unitary metallic element formed with a hook terminal to engage the cross :bar of the awning frame within the loop of the awning and projecting in substantially flat relation through a narrow opening in the connection of the loop to the awning proper, and outwardly beyond the loop formed as a tubular element through Which the operating cord may be passed and beyond which it may be knotted to provide the connection of the rope to the frame for the operation of the awning.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the application of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the awning support;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the same;

Figure 4 is a perspective view.

The invention will be described in connection with a particular type of awning for which the improvement is designed, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this type of awning but is designed for use in other situations in which it may be applicable.

The awning to which the invention is in particular applied includes a metallic frame i having side bars 2 pivotally connected to a fixture and a cross bar 3 connecting the ends of the side bars on which cross bar the lower end of the awning is supported. The cross bar is usually separable from the side bars in awnings of the larger type in order to facilitate dismantling of the awning structure when it is not desired for use.

The awning which is otherwise of the usual construction is provided at the top with means such as eyelets 5 by which the upper end of the awning may be secured by hooks, or other conventional means for securing the upper end of the awning may be utilized if desired. The lower end of the awning has secured on the inner surface thereof a longitudinal ranging strip 6 form-' ing with the lower edge of the awning a loop or pocket 1 in which the cross bar 3 of the frame is removably seated to connect the awning and frame so that the swinging movement of the frame will correspondingly move the awning either to an upper collapsed position, or to a lower extended position.

The cords 8 are ordinarily passed through eyelets at different aligned positionsin the width of the awning, passed over pulleys 9 on the fixture at the upper end of the awning and led to a convenient position in which all cords may be operated as a unit for raising or lowering the awning. In ordinary awning structure of this type the lower end of the cord is passed through openings in the inner wall of the pocket 1, passed around the cross bar 3 and then tied together to unite the cord and strip and thereby provide a means by which the awning may be raised and. lowered in a simple well-understood manner.

The passing of the end of the cord through the wall of the pocket, carrying the same around the cross bar 3 and then tying the free end with the main length of the cord is a tedious and somestrain on the pocket with the liability to rip or tear the same.

The present invention is directed particularly to a means in the form of a unitary el ment capable of easy and convenient connection with the cross bar 3 of the frame I and having a part extending beyond the pocket to receive the end of the cord 8 in a manner to permit such cord end to be knotted to prevent its separation from the element or unit.

The unit, preferably constructed of metal of appropriate thickness to afford requisite strength comprises a strip l0 formed at one end With a hook ll of appropriate shape and size to more or less freely embrace the cross bar 3 of the frame I, the strip beyond the hook having lateral extensions which in the formation of the strip will bend into a tubular member l2 having a diameter sufficient to loosely receive the terminal end of the cord 8.

The length of the unit is such that when the hook I I is engaged with the cross bar 3, the tubular member 12 extends beyond and free of the pocket I, with the end of the tubular member nearest the pocket spaced an appreciable distance from said pocket.

In mounting the awning a number of the strips 10 are applied to the cross bar corresponding to the number of operating cords 8 used in handling the awning. The ends of the cords which are designated to be connected to the cross bar are passed through appropriate pulleys in the awning proper to prevent wear, and their ends passed through a tubular member l2 of the strips H1. The ends of the cords are passed through the respective tubular members and then knotted beyond the same, thus connecting the cords and tubular member, and thereby the cross bar 3 of the frame I.

The awning is operated in the usual manner, and when it is desired to take the awning down for any purpose, the knots at the ends of the cross bars are simply untied and the cords drawn through the tubular members and beyond the awning, the units or strips [0 remaining with the cross bar, or said units or strips may be removed from the bar and pockets if desired, in the dismantling of the frame to store the awning.

As the hook portions H of the unit are comparatively thin there is no undue projection beyond the cross bar 3 which will tend to create any wear in the awning in the operation of the same, and as the units pass through an unstitched portion of the inner part forming the pocket 1, there is no necessity of forming additional openings in the pocket wall and thus liability of tearing or ripping the awning is entirely avoided.

It will be further noted that the upper wall of the tubular member I2 is a continuation of the upright portions of the stem of the hook, and that when the rope is knotted, as indicated in Figure 2, this knot is held fully and completely out of contact with the awning, and liability of wear of the latter in the raising and lowering of the awning is largely avoided.

The unit forming the present invention is, of course, to be constructed of metal of appropriate strength and also either of an inherent character or otherwise treated to prevent deterioration of any kind due to the elements.

What is claimed as new is:

A connector for detachably connecting an awning operating rope to the awning supporting cross bar, comprising an element having at one end a hook bill of broad flat inner and outer surfaces and of materially reduced thickness, the element remote from the hook bill providing a sleeve-like rope-receiving member arranged in line with the broad face of the hook bill and in a plane wholly below the upper end of the shank of the hook bill, the sleeve-like member having its upper wall forming a continuation of the shank of the hook bill and being open below the upper wall at the end toward the hook bill, with the open end spaced from the hook bill a distance to receive a rope knot between the open end of the sleeve-like member and the wall of the hook bill, with such knot prevented from contacting with the awning by the upper wall of the sleeve-like member connected to the shank of the hook bill.

LORENZ E. JEFFERSON. 

